Stage Fright
by InnocentAussie
Summary: During a live performance of Masako Hara's skills as a medium, a member of the audience, Izumi Saito, has a strange response to a few stories Masako tells the audience that hold examples of her abilities. What could have possibly triggered this? That's just what Naru, Mai, Masako, and the rest of SPR intend to find out.
1. Chapter 1: Izumi Saito

"Izumi Saito, huh?" Naru asked Masako. Earlier, she mentioned a possible case that could help further Naru's psychic research. "So... explain in full detail what happened, and I'll consider it." Naru stated, more harsh than he originally intended.

The two were sitting across one another at the Shibuya Psychic Research office, one person on a couch facing the other. Awaiting Masako's explanation, Mai came in with some hot tea, carefully placing it next to Naru. Before Mai was able to say anything, Naru put up a single finger to indicate that she should remain quiet. At least until Masako was done explaining.

"Well, you see..." Masako began, watching Naru as he picked up the hot tea, sipping it little by little, patiently listening to the explanation. "...my station insisted I do at least one live action performance for everyone, like most mediums do. Where we state if we sense a spirit or not, and so on. It's one of those moments where they pressure me to really put on a performance." "I'm a little busy with research of my own, so please with all due respect, I'd appreciate if you got to the point, Ms. Hara." Naru said in a demeaning yet simultaneously respectful manner. Masako cleared her throat and continued, a little agitated yet calm. "The boy, Izumi Saito, who came to see the performance, along with the hundreds already present, showed strange signs upon stories I've told of spirits I've encountered. At first, I thought he was just acting out, as some fans do. But I noticed something strange..."

Naru thought on this for a moment, taking another sip of tea before urging her to go on with a movement of his hands. "Right around when I started talking about one of my paranormal experiences with a ghost, he began showing early signs of possession... yet I didn't sense any spirits..." Mai perked up and decided to contribute to the conversation, asking, "Do you think he was doing that just to get attention? It probably wouldn't be the first time someone has acted up to steal some screen time, right?" Masako kept her hands gently in her lap, looking down and shaking her head slightly. "No," Masako began, "originally, I would have thought that... but what really got my attention was... he began acting just like the spirit aforementioned." Naru cocked a brow, slightly crossing one leg over the other and bringing his hands together, leaning back. He kept his eyes trained on Masako's. "So?" Naru abruptly asked. "I never mentioned how said spirit acted. _Nor was it ever televised._.." Masako answered.

"So that means... he can read minds?!" Mai exclaimed, a bit confused by this situation. "Don't be stupid, Mai. If someone could read minds they wouldn't have to act possessed to do it." Naru dismissed. Masako curiously stood up straight, her hands still together, asking, "Do you have any ideas?" Naru kept trying to finish off his tea, taking a deep breath before answering. He, too, stood up and said, "Well if you didn't sense any spirits on stage... it could be something different." "Like a specter? They follow people around, right? So it'd be harder for Masako to get a lead on!" Mai stated, once more attempting to contribute. Naru gave a gratifying nod, replying, "I'm glad to see you've been doing your homework. It's possible, and although I don't want to rule that thought out just yet, I still want to explore other possibilities."

_Of course... _Mai thought to herself in a cynical way.

Eventually, Yasuhara, Ayako, Monk, and even John showed up to the office. After explaining the situation to all of them, they decided to drive over to the client's house. After a knock on the door, Naru stood, waiting for an answer. A middle-aged man answered, looking at Naru and the others behind him. At first he seemed confused, and then a bit relieved. "You must be those ghost hunters that Ms. Hara talked about! Oh thank you for coming! I'm Izumi's father. Would you like to come in?" Naru nodded in answer to the request, turning to the others. "Mai. Yasuhara. Grab the equipment out of the car just in case. The rest of you, come with me.

The home looked like your normal, everyday two-story house hold. The family looked about middle-class and fairly well off. They went into the living room with the father, where his son waited for them. So this was Izumi Saito. He had these dark blue eyes that were nearly violet a little like Masako's, and dark-ish hair. His face and body structure had very feminine features to them. "So tell me what happened from your perspective, Mr. Saito." Naru said, seating himself in a chair across from him. Izumi seemed pretty excited to see these people, especially Masako, despite what happened to him earlier. "Well you see..." his father began, "Izumi has always had an interest in the paranormal and psychics and such ever since he was a teenager and got into some old magazines of my wife's." Naru lightly put a hand on his chin in thought, saying in a curious tone, "Magazines?" The father nervously laughed and explained, "You see... Before she passed away when he just started being a teenager, she was very into the paranormal and psychics. You know... spoon-bending, calling the dead, that sort of thing."

The SPR group all gave each other a look, and then Naru looked back to the father. "Indeed." Mr. Saito then continued, "Anyway, for his birthday I decided to buy him some tickets to Ms. Hara's live performance. He was very excited, to say the least, and... well he was normal up until she began talking about certain, emotionally charged spirits and so forth." Masako stood up and gave a small bow. "I'm sorry that Izumi went through that. I assure you that it was not my station's nor my intention." Masako apologized. The father gave a small, polite bow back, and said, "Don't worry, I was married to my wife long enough to have an idea of what you were trying to do up there. To be honest, Ms. Hara, I had no idea you were so... young... you know my son _just_ turned eighteen-" "_Dad_." Izumi grumbled, giving his father a light nudge with his elbow. "Yes yes, sorry Izumi. Anyway, I don't know what got into him, Mr. Shibuya. One minute he was sitting next to me enjoying the show and the stories, the next he went rampant."


	2. Chapter 2: Is that You?

"Rampant?" Naru asked, perking up a little. This could be interesting. The father nodded, looking over to his son with an expression as if expecting him to do it again, then looking back to Naru. "I've never seen him do this kinda thing before." Naru thought for a few moments, his eyes closed, contemplating the possibilities. _If he's never done this before, that might rule out Mai's theory of a specter. _Naru thought to himself, tapping his right foot slightly. "Tell me... has he ever gone to a live performance like this in the past?" Naru asked. This time, Izumi spoke up for himself. He shook his head and answered, "No, this was a first. It's why I was so excited. Until the other day, I've only read about psychics, never really meeting one in person."

Naru and Lin looked to one another, as if thinking the same thing, then back to the father. "Interesting... if we may, we'd like to observe him under certain conditions." The father gave an unsure frown, replying, "This... doesn't sound safe... but, my son's an adult now. It's honestly _his_ choice."

Izumi looked to Naru, then his father, then Naru again. He gave a firm nod. "If it means making sure this doesn't happen again, I'm in." "Good." Naru stated, looking to the others, noticing Mai and Yasuhara had finally gotten the gear set up and ready. "Mai, begin filming immediately, just in case." "Well, if I'm going to have guests over, I guess I might as well prepare dinner." The father sighed, standing up and making his way to the kitchen. "Th-that's not necessary! You don't have t-" Mai began, the father interrupting her, saying, "No honestly it's fine. As long as you guys promise you know what you're doing." Mai's eyes sparkled and widened with confidence, giving a firm nod and exclaiming, "Trust me, Naru hasn't failed a case yet!" This made the man give a nervous smile, and even though it showed he was unsure, he at least had hope.

"So, what kind of psychic stuff are you into, Izumi?" Yasuhara asked, flashing a welcoming smile. This immediately perked interest in Izumi, getting him to answer, "Well, other than Ms. Hara here... I've read plenty of magazines from back in Mom's day. As for more recent things, I've read a couple of books published by Professor Igarashi and read a LOT of articles on the internet about Oliver Davis! You know, the British psychic researcher guy? So far, I think he's one of my favorites." A few heads in the room immediately looked over to Naru, who somehow was keeping a straight face through all of this. Even Monk snickered a little bit just thinking about it. Ayako elbowed Monk to get his attention and whispered, "_You're_ one to laugh." in a snarky manner. Monk grumbles something but all in all it made him go quiet again.

Lin brought Naru some research papers, as Mai and the rest of the crew kept the small talk going with Izumi. He flipped through different possibilities, also taking into account it could be something he's never seen before. Naru tuned them out just a little, catching only keywords. "So you really didn't sense a spirit or something? I... I know this sounds weird, Ms. Hara, but... I FELT it." Izumi confessed to Masako, his demeanor slowly becoming serious. "I apologize again, Izumi, but I really didn't, nor DO I currently sense anything." Monk put his hands on his hips and leaned over to Mai, asking, "Hey Mai... do _you_ sense anything?" Mai looked over and gave a shrug, not too sure of her own abilities at all. "I... don't know, Monk. Usually that's only when I'm dreaming-"

That key phrase. _Usually that's only when I'm dreaming._ Naru perked up, as if realizing something, and asked, "What did you just say, Mai?" Mai, a bit confused, repeated herself, this time to Naru. Naru thought to himself and stood up, his hand going to his chin, stroking it in thought. _That's it!_ Naru thought to himself, fast-walking over to the computer. "I need to look into something. Keep talking with him Mai. Ms. Hara you stay there, too. The rest of you leave the room now... I need to figure something out." After a little bit of arguing and confusion, they decided to go with Naru's gut feeling and trust his better judgement, leaving Mai, Masako, Naru, and Izumi to themselves.

"So... this is... awkward... what um... what's happening?" Izumi asked Mai and Masako, looking to the two. Masako answered, her tone light, "I am... not sure. Mr. Shibuya rarely let's us in on things until he has a solid idea of what he himself is doing." Mai giggled lightly at Masako's explanation of it, since it was so accurate. Mai lightly put her hand on Izumi's shoulder, assuring him with a soft voice, "Don't worry, Izumi. Our guys know what they're doing. We'll figure this out. I promise." A few moments after she put her hand on his shoulder, Izumi's eyes widened in a strange way, his pupil enlarging, his body language showing minimal signs of possession. This was strange. He leaned back as if taking it in. "I-is something wrong? Masako, do you sense anything now?" Mai asked trying not to show panic in her voice. Masako curiously looked between the two and answered, "N-..no... just like back on stage... nothing... Izumi? Are you feeling okay?"

Izumi sat there for a few moments, silent, then gave a nice, warm and familiar smile to the both of them. He looked to Masako, then to Mai. "Mai... Masako... it's so nice to see you both." They looked completely puzzled, leaning back slightly. "...Izumi?" Masako questioned one more time. "What are you talking about, Masako? Who?" Naru looked over from his computer curiously, getting up and deciding to handle the situation himself. "Saito. Who do you think you are?" Naru asked, looking him straight in the eyes. Izumi got up and stepped closer to Naru, invading his personal space a little, causing Naru to curiously step back.

"You know who I am, Noll."

Mai, Masako, and even Naru had looks of shock on their face, completely confused. "...Gene?" Naru asked in a confused tone. Just then, Izumi fell back to the couch, slowly opening his eyes. "IZUMI?! Are you okay?!" Mai asked, running over to him. "H-...huh? What... happened?" Izumi asked in a dazed state. His eyes looked normal again, that's for sure. And now his posture went from upright/possessed to normal. Well, a bit less than normal. Now he looked quite lethargic. Mai gave Izumi a small shake, repeating her question, then adding, "Why'd you say that? You acted all weird and... smiled to us and..." Izumi looked befuddled. He leaned back a little from her and narrowed one eye, looking her up and down. "What? I didn-... I just... took a nap on the couch I thought and... wait... that wasn't a dream?" Izumi queried.

_Dream._

_That keyword. Why is it bothering me?_ Naru thought to himself.

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this second part. Gonna leave it on this little cliffhanger. Please leave a review ^_^


	3. Chapter 3: A Look Into the Past

"That's it!" Naru exclaimed, his eyes widening in realization.

Everyone was a bit taken aback by someone as quiet as Naru having such an outburst. "What is it, Naru?" Mai couldn't help but contain her query. Naru flipped through his psychic research documents some more, looking for a certain page. "Dream. It was bothering me, and now I know why. It's just like your abilities, Mai. Retrocognition." Mai narrowed one of her eyes and questioned, "What? You mean... when I dream about things that happened?" Naru nodded, then Monk pitched in, saying, "Ooooh I get it. Retrocognition. Of course, it makes sense now. Izumi isn't _actually _being possessed by the spirits he acts out, it's just a... weird version of retrocognition."

Mai looked back and forth to Monk and Naru, then to Izumi who looked equally perplexed. Izumi, who seemed to know at least _a little _about real-world psychic abilities, added, "Retrocognition? That's like... seeing into the past, right? I thought those were done in visions!" Naru handed his research files to Lin, then put his hand to his chin and calmly stated, "That's usually how it is, yes. Mai, here, usually sees such things in her dreams, along with a few other abilities. Although, you seem to have an advanced version of retrocognition. You appear to gain their likeness to such an extent you act as they would in the current situation, gaining a little of their memory quite possibly."

_This is bad._ Naru thought, his eyes closed, trying to think of what he could do. The good news is the case is almost closed in such a short amount of time... but the bad news is...

"This could be dangerous." Lin stated, practically reading Naru's mind. "But how?" Mai asked, to which John stepped up and answered, "Well, I can see what Lin means. We're lucky of all the spirits and hauntings we came across, the person he was drawn to was someone as gentle as Gene." Lin nodded a couple of times in addition to John's observation. "Right. Probably because of his strong connection to Mai." Naru added, his eyes still closed, his lip doing a slight twitch that only Mai seemed to notice.

_That was weird, usually Naru's demeanor is pretty stoic. But he almost seemed upset... could it be... jealousy?! _Mai thought to herself, unable to help being at least a little happy to think up a possibility that he felt such a way for her.

"Regardless, I think it'd be best to stay here for a little while longer just in case and see what happens. The least we can do is make sure he can at least control himself in case his visions get more... violent..." Naru stated, not being as tactful as Mai and the others would have preferred, but he couldn't help but be straight to the point. "With you and your father's permission of course, Saito." Naru continued.

Izumi looked around, a little unsure of how he should handle the situation. Yasuhara gave a smile and leaned towards him, assuring, "Don't worry, we know what we're doing. It's not like we get paid by the hour, you know." He gave a light laugh afterwards, making Izumi return a small, happy smile as well. "Alright, as long as we can get to the bottom of this." Izumi said. Ayako put her hands on her hips and sighed out, "Sounds like we already have." "And that's what I'm afraid of." Naru shot back. Right at the conclusion of this debate, Mr. Saito walked in on cue. "Alright, dinner is served."

All the others sat around in the dining area, quietly slurping and eating their meal. A third person of the family joined them. She looked about twenty years old, and she also looked plenty confused. "Uuumm..." She began, until her father answered, "Oh, sorry Uki. These are the people from Shibuya Psychic Research I told you about. You know, the ones who came to see your brother after his little... incident..." Uki perked up and looked slightly annoyed. By the way she was... underdressed... you could say... and a little red in the cheeks, it was obvious she wasn't expecting anyone to come over at this time. She immediately marched out of the room awkwardly, then came back minutes later in much more clothing. Mostly white in color. "Sorry everyone." She gave a polite bow. "I'm Uki Saito, Izumi's older sister." She then growled, "And I wish Dad told me we were having guests..." Her father replied quickly, "And I wish you listened when I told you earlier today." She rolled her eyes, then muttered, "I was napping." Then decided to end the conversation, sitting next to Yasuhara, taking a cup of tea, and drinking it quickly. She must have been rather parched.

"...So... black underwear, huh?" Yasuhara couldn't contain, which resulted in Uki snapping back, "Oh be quiet..." her redness returned, ending in Uki trying to hide herself in her meal, practically. "A-Anyway..." Uki began... "What did they find out about Izu?" She asked her dad. Her father shrugged and stated, "Actually, I was hoping Mr. Shibuya could shed some light on that." Naru had his facial expression quite mellowed out, probably from the tea he was sipping. It always DID seem to calm him down a bit, regardless of his already unaffected demeanor. He put down his tea, then finally answered, "Well, Mr. Saito, your son appears to have an advanced form of retrocognition. Before you ask, sir, allow me to explain. What this means is he appears to not only mimic spirits, but adapt their personalities and possibly even their memories. Which is strange, considering most forms of retrocognition involve seeing visions of past hauntings, spirits, and events. What we're studying now is exactly what triggers these outbursts, so he can better control them. That is... if you'll allow us to stay longer."

Mr. Saito looked perplexed at first. He seemed unsure if he wanted these strangers to stay here any longer. He looked over to Izumi, who seemed confident about this. The father sighed, and gave an accepting nod. "Izu always _did_ have an impressionable personality. Whenever he came home from his friends' houses he usually ended up sounding a bit like them, in demeanor AND tone." Uki contributed, sipping her tea a bit slower this time, trying to ignore the playful expression Yasuhara gave. "Alright, I'll agree to this, Mr. Shibuya." Mr. Saito said in a low tone, looking over to Uki afterwards. "Uki, you might have to give up your room and bunk with Izumi, since your room is bigger and would better accommodate our guests. Also the guest room isn't nearly as big as, say, our living room..." Uki frowned, and just as she was about to speak up, Naru stated, "Actually, the living room is just fine for us, sir. The women can have the guest room." Monk frowned at this and complained, "Awww why do we get the living room, Naru? Sexist." Naru then shot back, "There is four women and five men in our group. And according to Mr. Saito, the living room is bigger. It isn't about chivalry, it's about efficiency." With that retort, Monk stayed quiet, silently agreeing with his logic, as per usual. Uki seemed to have relief wash over her face about this.

"It's settled then. I... appreciate all you've told me so far. Thanks Mr. Shibuya... a-and the rest of you..." Izumi said, getting nods and small comments of assurance from the rest of the SPR group.

* * *

That is all for this Chapter. Find out what happens next in Chapter 4! Will Izumi be able to conquer this new ability, and hone it for the greater good? Or will he succumb to a darker memory that SPR would rather leave forgotten? Find out soon!


	4. Chapter 4: Déjà vu

...Later that night...

Naru, Lin, John, Monk, and Yashuhara set up blankets and sleeping bags in the rather spacious living room, along with some of their equipment. "Are you sure we shouldn't have set up cameras in Izumi's room?" John asked the guys, laying back on his blanket in his blue pajamas, looking up at the ceiling. "Well this is the first time he's had to deal with something like this and he said how creeped out he is by this already. Don't worry, though. Yasuhara and I put up some cameras in the hallway so if he DOES do anything he won't get far before we know about it." Monk replied to John, sitting in one of the living room chairs, also staring up at the ceiling. "W-woah wait guys I think I see something. Izumi's moving!" Yasuhara exclaimed, the entire room looking at the monitor he was observing. "Oh man I wonder what he's possessed by this time... I think he... I think he..." "I think he's going to the bathroom." Naru interrupted, his tone demeaning as usual.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the guest room that Masako, Mai, and Ayako were using, they too were doing poorly at attempting to sleep. "Ugh I can't help but think of what's going to happen next." Mai said, holding her pillow to her head. "John and Lin were right, though, you know. We're lucky that kid didn't see an even bloodier event with his powers. Imagine what's going to happen if we happen to be too close to an old battleground or something?" The thought slightly scared Masako and Mai, which Ayako saw. She usually wasn't one to stoop to such things, but she couldn't help but mess with them a little upon seeing this. "Yeah... if he captures the essence of a more _evil _spirit, he could come right in and kill us in our sleep."

This made the other two widen there eyes in realization, as the door slowly cracked with an eery creak. Ayako was surprised and the other two were stunned, Mai's body going from still to shivering and Masako's breathing going from slow to a near, complete halt. The dim light from the hallway didn't give enough of a shadow to see who their midnight intruder was. Mai closed her eyes tightly, slowly peeking her right one as the door soon was wide open.

"You guys can't sleep, either?" A familiar voice asked the three. With her long snow white hair, blue eyes, and short night gown it was easy to distinguish who it was from the others in the house: Uki Saito, Izumi's sister. The three sighed out sighs of relief. Mai rubbed the back of her head and nervously answered, "Hahaha I guess not. So, what brings you here?" Uki flashed a welcoming smile and sat down on the floor with Mai and Masako, since Ayako was sitting in the guest room bed. "I actually just was wondering if you guys were still up. I got bored and wanted to talk." Uki admitted, looking to the three. Ayako yawned and layed back down upon hearing this. "Well if you wanna talk, they probably have nothing but a bunch of ghost stories. Especially Mai." She replied after her yawn. Uki clapped her hands together happily, then stated, "I like ghost stories." This made Masako smile lightly and Mai light up with joy. It's been a while since she's been able to do this with just her and the girls. Granted it's not the girls she _usually_ did it with but she'll take what she can get.

"Masako, Ayako, ideas on what we could tell her?" Mai asked the others. Masako nodded and answered, "I think I have a couple you might be interested in, Ms. Saito." Uki scooted slightly closer to the other two, then replied, "Please, feel free to call me Uki." Masako switched her sitting position to get more comfortable on her sleeping bag. "Okay then, 'Uki'. Let's begin..."

Masako, Mai, and Ayako went on about all the cases they've been on before (leaving out a few details for Naru's case). They talked about the fox fires at the school building, the monster in that mansion's labyrinth, and so on. Uki couldn't believe what they went through. "Wow. So you guys really fought undead and like... a deity?" Uki asked, a bit skeptical. "Well... hehe... kind of." Mai answered. Masako checked the time on the wall, then turned to the others. "Goodness... it's almost three in the morning. We should all be getting some rest." She explained. Uki frowned, but then stretched and yawned, her body apparently agreeing with Masako. "Alr-" Uki was soon interrupted by some noises in the hallway. She turned around quickly, then back to the others. Everyone remained silent.

"...You know... if you're afraid, you're more than welcome to stay with us." Mai offered, holding up a pillow to Uki. Uki laughed nervously and answered in an unsure tone, "Heh. Scared? You kidding me? I-I'm twenty years old now. Heheh... heh..." The noise happened again. Someone was coming. But who? "Maybe one of the guys is going to the bathroom." Ayako suggested. "No, there's a bathroom downstairs, remember?" Mai replied to Ayako. "Well what about Izumi? Maybe HE has to use the restroom?" Masako pitched in. "N-no I saw him go in there earlier..." Uki answered, staring at the door. She wasn't sure what would be worse, the noises continuing or the door swinging open. Eventually, Uki took a deep breath and muttered to herself, "This is ridiculous. This is your own house. Plus there's, like, a bunch of ghost hunters in your house. What could possibly-" She reached for the door knob, the door soon swinging open, causing Uki to jump back and be caught off balance a little. The others were startled but Uki immediately knew who it was. "...I-...Izu? You scared the crap out of me! How long have you been standing there?" She asked in a rather angry tone. Masako's eyes soon widened once more in realization, looking over to Mai, then whispering, "...How long _has_ he been standing there? Do you think-... do you think he heard us?"

"Izu?" Uki continued.

Izumi was looking down... his eyes slowly scanning his sister from bottom to top as his face went up with them. It was only until now they noticed he was holding a meat cleaver in his right hand, clenched rather tightly. "Th-this isn't funny..." Uki told him with a bit more concern in her voice.

He stood there, a crazy look in his eyes, his hand holding the cleaver slowly raising...

"I... I..." Izumi trailed off, as if he was fighting it...

"You... w-what?" Uki asked.

"**_I don't want to_**** die.**"

* * *

Annnnnnnnd Chapter 4 FINALLY done ^_^ Sorry ladies and gents for said delay. Also sorry for grammar errors in here. It's 3 in the morning and I don't feel like editing atm. Enjoy and thanks for taking your time reading :3


End file.
